Lansing, MI – The YMCA of Metropolitan Lansing is pleased to announce Kelli A. Ellsworth-Etchison, Vice President of Community and Business Development for LAFCU, has been elected to a two-year term to serve as chairperson of the Y’s 32-member board of directors.

Ellsworth-Etchison, who has served on the Y board of directors for six years, replaces outgoing board chairperson Catherine Jacobs, attorney for Loomis Law Firm, who served in the role from 2012-2014. Longstanding Y board members James Schmelter from PNC Bank and Denise Schroeder from Alterus Retirement Solutions also assume their new roles of first vice chair and second vice chair, respectively.

As board chair, in addition to providing direct leadership of the board, Ellsworth-Etchison will also chair the Y’s Executive Committee, which provides support and direction to the Lansing Y CEO, Jeff Scheibel.

“We look forward to Kelli’s energy, vision, and commitment to the YMCA, as well as the community of Lansing. Her service to our organization the past six years has prepared her well for this role. Kelli follows in the footsteps of some great leaders, and I fully expect that her leadership will take our organization to the next level. It will be an honor to serve with her,” said Sheibel.

The volunteer board of directors provides leadership to the Lansing Y, which operates five Lansing-area branches, two extension locations and Mystic Lake Camp, located north of Mount Pleasant. Nearly 500 employees help provide services to approximately 15,000 members and 33,500 program participants.

Board members are integral to the success of the Lansing Y’s annual campaign that raises money to help area young people achieve their potential, to empower people of all ages to lead healthier lives, and to strengthen the Greater Lansing community.

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About the YMCA of Metropolitan Lansing

The YMCA of Metropolitan Lansing has six operating units, including Mystic Lake Camp near Clare, and branches downtown, on Lansing’s west side, in the Oak Park area to the south, in East Lansing, and DeWitt. The YMCA employs nearly 500 individuals, and serves nearly 16,000 memberships throughout the community. A volunteer board of directors provides leadership to the association, a member of the national organization – the YMCA of the USA. The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits, strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 21 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but also to deliver lasting personal and social change. www.lansingymca.org and www.ymca.net